Maryland-based Harford Mutual Insurance announces the conversion of its corporate structure to a mutual holding company forming a new parent company, Harford Mutual Insurance Group, effective October 1, 2020. The finalization of the conversion extends the important benefits of mutuality rights to all policyholders in their subsidiary underwriting companies, Harford Mutual Insurance, Firstline Insurance, and their newest underwriting company, 1842 Insurance. The conversion allows all policyholders to benefit from the member-owned, one member-one vote mutual philosophy that has guided Harford Mutual for 178 years, while giving the company a renewed ability to focus on long-term benefits to its members and their communities through investment in innovative products, new technologies, and new opportunities for sustainable and responsible growth.
The conversion was approved by the Harford Mutual Board of Directors, the Maryland Insurance Administration, and the company’s policyholders at their annual policyholder meeting held virtually in May 2020. “The conversion strengthens and extends the underlying elements of mutuality on which we were founded upon in 1842. Our new structure further invests a mutual structure that differentiates us in the market, while providing the ability to capture new opportunities when presented,” says Steven D. Linkous, President & CEO.
To complement the restructure and new strategic direction, the company also embarked on a rebranding initiative, reimagining its logo and revealing a new icon that more fully tells their mutual story—illustrating their continued commitment to their founding principles as they look to the future.
A video animation detailing the creation of its new brand can be found on the group’s website. www.HarfordMutual.com and below.
In 2020, Harford Mutual Insurance Group embraced the new tagline it adopted in 2019, Insuring Opportunity through Mutual Success, with a litany of surpassed goals, innovative initiatives, and aggressive community support during the pandemic. The company exceeded its direct written premium goal by four years and topped $300M in policyholders’ surplus and $600M in total assets for the first time in the group’s history. It completed the first phase of an extensive core system upgrade while deploying all 175 employees remotely during the beginning of the pandemic. And, in addition to its annual commitment of $250,000 to local non-profits in the communities where they write business, Harford Mutual committed an additional $250,000 to charities and causes directly affected by the COVID-19 challenges.
About Harford Mutual Insurance Group
Harford Mutual Insurance Group, founded in 1842 in Harford County, Maryland, provides commercial property and casualty insurance products and services to a regional market. The company ended 2019 with over $230 million in direct written premium sold through nearly 450 independent agents in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington DC. Harford Mutual contributed more than $260,000 to over 70 charities in 2019. Harford Mutual is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, the leading credit rating organization dedicated to serving the global insurance industry. For more information, visit www.HarfordMutual.com.
